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The Zhellenost Dynasty
The Zhellenost Dynasty is a line of kings and queens in Shadedale that has lasted since the end of the Third Era of the world. Their origins are shrouded in mystery, just as their bodies are shrouded in magically protective robes, veils and masks. This is not a practice they engage in willingly, but out of necessity, as their line possesses a power that is as much a gift as it is a curse. It's called alternately the Hoarfrost Reckoning or the Witch's Vengeance depending on who you ask, and causes their bodies to exude an aura of freezing cold so powerful it can freeze the blood in a man's veins from a hundred paces. The shrouds and specially made focuses they wear aid in containment of this effect and help them dampen it. The most powerful of Zhellenost (chief among them Orhan Zhellenost) have been known to gain such control over the Hoarfrost as to be able to touch another being with their bare skin without killing them. Because of this weakness, some find it amazing the line has continued so long as it has. It necessitates they breed amongst themselves or take mates among only the most talented of arcanists, those capable of warding themselves from their spouse's chilling power. It is believed by some historians and scholars (though never confirmed by any member of the extensive Zhellenost family) that this power was a curse bestowed upon them by the fabled Winter Witches of Tezren Nerich (who also have never been confirmed to exist) when Tamuk Zhellenost of the Third Era crusaded to find and destroy them. Others think that it has to do with Tamuk's supposed interbreeding with a divine creature referred to only as Ibari. The latter seems somewhat more likely, as the Zhellenost have since time immemorial been world renowned Celestial Warlocks and devout followers of the Davalonian Host. However the Hoarfrost Reckoning came to be a part of the Zhellenost line, its potency cannot be denied; in battle a member of the Zhellenost family can use the Hoarfrost to unleash powerful waves of freezing death on his or her enemies. Notable Members Though many Zhellenost have ruled over Shadedale in the long history of their lineage, only a handful have played major roles in world affairs. Most notable in recent history is King Orhan Zhellenost who, alongside Van Roke, presided over the conference deciding what to do with the recovered Seeds of Life. He helped to spearhead the offensive against the Gnosians and eventually died in the Entropius War (along with most of his children and wife Kodana). In life his accomplishments in social progression were met with hesitant approval but have since become lauded as the first step towards global societal advancement. He reinstated the Shadedavian Parliament that his grandfather Alarrum had abolished, gave women the right to vote on representatives (as well as become them) and decriminalized the long illegal practice of worshiping the god Mazona. That single act went untold miles towards reconciliation between the people of the Protectorate and his own country of Shadedale. Queen Imada Zhellenost ruled between year 2194 and 2524 of the Fifth Era (the Zhellenost are exceptionally long-lived). She is, to date, only one of three Zhellenost known to be capable of showing any bare flesh at all. She was able to not only eschew her mask (the most powerful part of a Zhellenost's protective garb), but also had such control over her Hoarfrost aura that she took a husband who had no magical power whatsoever. Imada led her country to war against the Protectorate and the combined forces of Dal Reseg and Tezren Nerich simultaneously. The war on the Protectorate was a retaliatory action after her father King Shevan had failed to protect several hundred miles of border territory. The war front on the dwarves and northmen came about when a dwarven council of hierarchs (called Ollum) declared Celestial Warlocks a “myth” and said that Shadedale was a nation of deviant demon-worshipers. The paladins of the Eternium Serrukas joined the Ollum crusade and sought to purge Celestial Warlocks from Shadedale. She fought the Protectorate back until they were forced deep into the desert and sufficiently battered the crusaders until they were forced to accept defeat and sign a distinctly disadvantageous treaty. Queen Imada is known as one of the greatest conquerors and warriors not only in Shadedavian history, but is recognized by the Council of Archmagi as one of the eleven most powerful arcanists to ever live. According to the writings of Archmage Tibiam, “Queen Imada Zhellenost displayed such control over the arcane flux and flow as to have been for all intents and purposes a part of it. It is rare that an arcanist should be capable of affecting portions of the arcane weave outside their direct purview, but on several occasions she was witnessed performing spells that altered the weave so fundamentally as to make distance nonexistent- or at least irrelevant.” It's not certain how she came to be so powerful, but it is perhaps worthy of note that despite her husband's mundane (non-arcane) nature each of her seven children were also exceptionally powerful Warlocks even by Zhellenost standards. Section heading Write the second section of your article here.